A new feature to explore within the Afidus ATL-200S time lapse camera system. What is it? Back light Compensation is a new scene introduced with the Afidus ATL-200S camera system to consider using in situations where the object is lit from behind. In summary, it will balance out the light from the back to the front. BACK LIGHT CONTROL feature when selected, will brighten the front of the subject and balance the light from the back to the front of the scene. When not used, you can expect the shadows to appear more natural. It's a challenge This particular subject was challenging as it was lit 100% naturally. Light moved throughout the day from a south facing window to the far west bouncing off reflective snow. Special care and attention to exposure must be considered as light changes throughout the day. We advise this scene to be used in controlled situations. How to set it: Select BLC feature from the Scene Icon. Our recommendation: Try it out. Check that footage a few hours or the second day into the project. Make Adjustments. Especially, if you are in an uncontrolled lighting situation such as outside where the light is unpredictable.

Why does the horizon appear to be fish-eyed or bowed? Answer: because the lens is equal to a 16-35mil optical zoom lens. From the settings menu select Wide Angle and turn this ON or OFF depending upon what appeals for your scene. If you are viewing your footage and the horizon appears to ”bow” you can check this by setting the alignment grid on (aka “Hash bars”) on from the main preview window. The alignment bars are a handy way to make sure you are aligned down the center and framing your subject exactly how you want it to look. Solution: Head over to settings and check Wide Angle, turn it OFF. NOTE: This will do a decent job to straighten out that horizon. Turning this feature OFF does crop the scene in a little. "What if it's ON and I don't like it?" In certain situations, the wide angle view may be desirable or not. If you record your project with the setting on and there’s bowing in your footage this can be smoothed out with a few post production techniques. Distortion correction presets are built into advanced editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Davinci Resolve (purchased edition). When using Adobe Premiere, look for GoPro and DJI presets. Alternatively, you can pin corners or crop. This is not an automatic process and will take finessing. This brings us to another article, Editing your Timelapse. This article is coming soon.

If your preview or video appears to have pinkish or purplish color tones, chances are your camera was bumped hard, possibly dropped or kicked around during shipping to you. Simply removing and replacing the battery cartridge should resolve the issue. If the problem persists and you have you cord handy. Connect the cord to your computer/power source, remove the battery carriage and power the camera up. What causes this? The Afidus Time Lapse Camera has an IR filter. When the camera was impacted ie FedEx Football the filter flipped down and will not return to position unless the carriage is completely removed from the unit. This process will return the IR filter back into position. The filter currently doesn't have a purpose, other than causing an initial panic. There may be IR use sometime down the road. Question: Why does my Video look yellow or too blue? Answer: check that white balance. For odd color videos, chances are you have the wrong white balance setting selected. Please view this portion of our tutorial dealing with white balance settings:

The Snap Shot feature is a wonderful feature to use for aligning the camera back to the previous posting location in the event you need to change the batteries or the camera is bumped from it's original position. If you have an error which states, "Snapshot receive fail". One workround for this error is to set the image quality to 3, rather than 4 it works most of the time. Try the snap shot again. If it works then the photo will be stored on the camera card. If the snap shot receive fail still does not work please close the app with the quality set to 3 and try again. This is an issue Afidus is working to resolve. This temporary solution is not a guarantee, simply a workaround until a permanent fix is provided in a future firmware update.

November 2019 With this firmware update to version 3926 the Default password of 1234568 must be changed. This video takes you through the process. March 2021 update: ATL-200S/201S current models the current firmware is 4462 For the ATL-200/201 models, the firmware is 4374. Operating your timelapse camera takes some learning. We created tutorial videos walking you through the process every step of the way. Afidus continues to be very responsive to the ongoing software updates on all platforms and Government Mandated Security Requirements, we appreciate your patience. ​ November 2019 With this firmware update to version 3926 the Default password of 1234568 must be changed. This video takes you through the process. HELP!!! MY CAMERA STILL WONT CONNECT!!! If, by accident you entered the manufacturer password (12345678) your camera will not connect to WiFi. To resolve this, please forget the camera connection in your settings and enter the current TimeLapseCamera password, 87654321. ​ As of November, 2019, all new cameras shipped from TimeLapseCameras.com will have the new default password set to 87654321. If you did not purchase your camera from us: Due to new government GDPR rules (General Data Protection) you might be asked to change your password to a new, personal one. You will be instructed by the App to enter a new password. Once this is done, go back to your wifi network list and click “Forget Network” for your ATL. Lastly, simply reconnect to the ATL-xxxxxxx network using your new, personal password. You should now have a connection between your camera and your phone / tablet. To test this, go to the App main screen and tap the bottom left icon “Camera”. If successful, you should be taken to the viewfinder and settings screen of the App. Please note: The camera will automatically turn off its Wifi after 4 minutes of wifi inactivity. This is indicated by the camera emitting a long beep and then it will shut down. ​ Please reach out to us if you have questions, we are here to help.

"Help!!! My battery is stuck in the camera!" Afidus responded to this issue by shipping the Battery Removal Tool with every camera. In the event the carriage is stuck in the unit, insert the Battery Removal Tool prongs parallel into the marked holes on the end of the carriage. Afidus time lapse cameras work with micro SD cards up to 128gb in size. However not all brands have been tested to confirm they are compatible. In most cases using a card up 64GB card is more than enough for standard construction projects. We typically recommend monthly camera checks and archiving content along the way. In this video we share how to remove and insert the card Help!!!! I've lost the battery key!!!! Never fear, there are always DIY solutions in your desk. We understand small parts and pieces are likely to get lost in your camera bag. This is one time to get creative. A couple of off the cuff options; paper clip, picture frame saw tooth hanger, or small blunt flat head bit. In the case of the paper clip, bend it accordingly to mirror the shape as shown and insert into the battery case marked holes. Did you use Rechargeable Batteries? Then you are going to need the blunt tool and the battery removal clip to try and wedge it free. This is your gentle reminder to please don't use rechargeable batteries as they are apt to get stuck in the case because they are slightly thicker in diameter in the carriage.

We dove into the 2019 CES and AUSA trade shows in partnership with clients posting cameras on-site. After these unique build experiences we swam out thinking about a trade show booth time lapse business model. ​ TimeLapseCameras take: Trade show booth builds are a perfect application for time lapse. What better way to have eyes on your exhibit than construction and visitor traffic social media posts the first day of the show. You could hire the TimeLapseCameras.com team or do-it-yourself with the Afidus time lapse cameras. The camera's battery life allows for unattended operation for the entire process from set-up to show day. ​ Clip Details: Camera : Afidus ATL-201 Content captured over 6 days | October, 2019 | Interval: 30 seconds | 24 hours a day Success Point: Multiple cameras posted high up from great angles was the key to this successful content. This allowed for us to switch from each camera angle telling more the the clients build story. From full service installation to assistance with camera settings we are here to help. #CaseStudy #Construction #Tradeshow #TradeShowTimelapse #FullServiceTimeLapse

Ever wondered the settings for trying to capture Fireworks. Well Marie got down to business and fired up a five camera test. In this video she reveals two potential outcomes. The greatest learning take-away point, when shooting in Star Scene mode this is only applicable for... you guessed it Stars. Which is NOT fireworks. Let's think about this for a second. Fireworks are Fast. When the camera is set to Star Scene mode the system will capture 2" long exposures. Causing a light trail. Therefore switch to either either Auto or Daylight scene mode. This will increase the exposure to 1/30 respectively. Mind you, fireworks are large pops and explosions creating bursts of light. Therefore, decrease the exposure within the system down. TIP: always review the footage immediately afterwords to see which direction you need to switch to. Our intent for this video is a starting point for settings. Our take: just like Stars, fireworks is an event that can be repeated. Try-Try-again. Camera Model: Afidus ATL-200S Recording Mode: Timelapse Interval: Constant Capture or 1 second Why? because the quicker the action is the faster you want the interval to be. FPS: 30 Scene Mode: use Auto or Daylight. Do NOT use Star. Why? two great reasons, fireworks are nothing but pops of flashes. and Star capture mode records at a slower exposure. Similar to 2 seconds. You want those the long light trails from vehicles, sure or stars? Do it and use it. But not for Fireworks. Your footage will be blown out. Exposure: Dial it down. -1 or -2 HDR: Medium or High. All the rest, contrast, sharpness, saturation, can be adjusted to suit your interest.

The Riverside Elementary Mural project is now a reality! Named, “The Identity Project,” the mural captures the spirit of youth empowerment and individuality through the adaptation of their art. “We wanted every child to be displayed doing what represents them," explains Lida Casper, Community School Site Facilitator at Riverside. The result is a collection of artwork that represents the uniqueness of the students, as well as, their shared sense of creativity and bringing a community together. Tech Specs: This video was filmed using five Afidus ATL-200 time lapse cameras, utilizing the timer feature within the Afidus app. The camera was configured at 30 second interval during working hours (Mon-Fri from 7 am - 8:30 pm). The content was captured over the course three weeks, non-stop, without a battery changes. The video team: https://TimeLapseCameras.com Photographer/Editor: Marie Ferguson https://www.dm-create.com Photographer: Josh Banks https://www.banksphotos.com

Travel is a big component of Memorial Day weekend and this video highlights the Afidus camera’s Video Lapse feature. Rather than a single frame captured at a specific interval, Video Lapse captures 15FPS real time video at a specific interval. In this case, the camera was set to capture a video burst every three seconds with the interval set to every 5 minutes. The content was sped up a bit for a perfect Insta minute to share on our instagram channel. Introducing Marie's take on the video. Hey, Marie @myold1875 here and I have a story to tell. While on a recent trip to Iowa, I shot this video thinking “hey, why not, you never know what you’re going to get.” Serial #001 camera was mounted on the inside of my windshield with a suction cup. I never thought we would drive through 2-3 rain storms, capture a rainbow, and drive into the blazing sunset. Let’s not even talk about the safety of grabbing the camera off the windshield and facing it toward the rainbow in hopes it would be captured! Next time you’re driving, grab a cam and post it. You’ll never know what you’ll capture along the way. This is four hours of driving condensed into one sweet drive lapse minute." Our Timelapse tip for this video: select the Video Lapse from the mode options. Calculate your estimated drive time. Consider burst recording set to 3 seconds with every 5 to 10 minutes.

We are super excited about this announcement. The Afidus ATL-200 long term time lapse camera has been nominated for a Product of the Year award NAB Show. A huge thank you to the 2019 NAB Show Product of the Year Team, we are very honored to have been selected. We are offering a show discount on pre-orders for late April shipping. Use TLCNAB2019 at checkout to save $40 and get on the list for the next round of cameras. I am very proud of our small and passionate team. Marie thank you for your fast keyboard fingers and dealing with the last minute entry stress. Darryl thank you for keeping the momentum going and your work behind the scenes. Camera Features • One month+ battery life (a capture every minute during working hours) • Full HD Sony Sensor with high dynamic range • Optical Zoom Lens (16-35mm DSLR equivalent) • Wi-Fi App Control with full screen preview • IP65 Weather Resistant without a housing • Timer with day of the week scheduling • Motion Detection • Pinch Zoom App Screen to confirm precise focus • MP4 File Format • Macro Focus inches from the lens • One Tap Auto Focus with manual precision • And more! We hope to see you in Vegas!

The TimeLapseCameras.com team will be in Vegas at the #NABshow with the exciting new Afidus ATL-200 long term time lapse camera. The show is April 7-11, come visit us at Central Hall Booth 12140. Footage captured with the Afidus camera when I was in Vegas for CES. All content created exclusively created and produced by TimeLapseCameras.com using the Afidus ATL-200 camera